Man found not guilty in molestation trial

Published: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 4, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

A Marion County jury has acquitted a Tennessee man who was accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl.

Dwight Brinkley, 41, was charged with two counts of sexual battery on a child in October 2010 after the girl, now 18, told authorities he had molested her when she was 11 and living in Ocala.

Brinkley still faces similar charges in the Tennessee court system. Brinkley’s family moved from Marion County to Tennessee in 2008.

The young woman’s name is being withheld to avoid identifying her.

Brinkley’s attorney, Samuel Bennett, said Brinkley was very happy and “overwhelmed” by the verdict, which the jury returned last week.

“He (Brinkley) had been sitting in jail for over 30 months just on the word that he supposedly did something,” Bennett said in a phone interview Monday. “It’s a terrible crime, but there’s no evidence to show that it was committed, and in this particular case, there was a lot of evidence in this case that she (the alleged victim) had a motive.”

According to court records, the young woman wrote about the allegations in a school assignment in Tennessee.

<p>A Marion County jury has acquitted a Tennessee man who was accused of molesting an 11-year-old girl.</p><p>Dwight Brinkley, 41, was charged with two counts of sexual battery on a child in October 2010 after the girl, now 18, told authorities he had molested her when she was 11 and living in Ocala.</p><p>Brinkley still faces similar charges in the Tennessee court system. Brinkley's family moved from Marion County to Tennessee in 2008.</p><p>The young woman's name is being withheld to avoid identifying her.</p><p>Brinkley's attorney, Samuel Bennett, said Brinkley was very happy and “overwhelmed” by the verdict, which the jury returned last week.</p><p>“He (Brinkley) had been sitting in jail for over 30 months just on the word that he supposedly did something,” Bennett said in a phone interview Monday. “It's a terrible crime, but there's no evidence to show that it was committed, and in this particular case, there was a lot of evidence in this case that she (the alleged victim) had a motive.”</p><p>According to court records, the young woman wrote about the allegations in a school assignment in Tennessee.</p><p>Brinkley is still in custody since the Tennessee case is pending.</p>